1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an apparatus and system for data communications in general, and in particular to an apparatus for providing data communications between a data processing system and other remote data communications systems. Still more particularly, the present invention relates to an adapter for providing data communications between a computer and other remote data communications systems having various data communication platforms.
2. Description of the Prior Art
With the advent of mobile telephones such as cellular phones and truly portable computers such as laptop computers, notebook computers and even sub-notebook computers, many office workers are more mobile today than they were in the past. In the meantime, most of these xe2x80x9ctravellingxe2x80x9d office workers still require access to the information from their offices even when they are away. For example, a worker who is telecommuting may need to remote access the office files from home. Or in the case of an office worker who is required to travel frequently, the necessity for remote access from a hotel room or a client""s location to the home office is commonly seen.
Although portable computers such as those mentioned above are quite easy to travel with, the various types of telecommunication facilities offered in different locations may present some challenges for the travelling office worker. This is because data communications equipment available at different locations may require different communication platforms. For example, a local area network (LAN), such as ARCnet or Ethernet, coupled with an Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) may be installed at the office while only an analog public switched telephone network (PSTN) is available at home or at the hotel for modem connection. There have been several attempts to resolve this connectivity problem, which stems from the inability of the data communications equipment to operate and interface with both a digital network and an analog network in general. One solution is to have an adapter designed for each type of telecommunication facilities available at all times. The travelling office worker can then install the appropriate adapter according to the tele-communication facilities provided. Such operations, which may require the opening of the computer chassis, depending on the type of adapter and computer utilized, are quite inconvenient and considerably costly. Also, the need to have several different adapters available is quite expensive as well as cumbersome when travelling.
At present, some manufacturers have attempted to resolve the problem of carrying multiple adapters with a hybrid adapter solution. By combining several separate discrete functions in a single adapter, a hybrid adapter provides the user more freedom than before. This brute force approach, however, does not save much when compared to separate adapters.
Consequently, it would be desirable to provide a single adapter for data communications such that the adapter is capable of transferring data to different communication platforms utilized by various remote data communications systems. Because such an adapter would perform several functions by utilizing common hardware, it would have the convenience of a hybrid adapter and a price comparable to a single adapter.
In view of the foregoing, it is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved apparatus for data communications.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved apparatus for providing data communications between a data processing system and other remote data communications systems.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an improved adapter for providing data communications between a computer and other remote data communications systems having various data communication platforms.
In accordance with the apparatus and system of the present invention, an adapter is provided for transferring data between a data processing system and a remote data communications system, which comprises a single electronics assembly having a programmable digital signal processing device, a memory device and several transceiving devices. A software program is stored in the memory device for instructing the programmable digital signal processing device. The transceiving devices are controlled by the programmable digital signal processing device such that the appropriate transceiving device can be activated for providing data communications, according to the type of communication platform utilized by the remote data communications system. The remote data communications system can be a data circuit terminating equipment (DCE), such as a modem, or a data terminating equipment (DTE), such as an ISDN terminal adapter. The adapter also has a first connector and a second connector for the type of communication platforms required by the particular remote data communications system, coupled to the transceiving devices for exchanging data with a remote data communications system.
All objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed written description.